Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-01-15

The clock CHANGED to overhear this,
and listened with some interest. Could
it be possible that there were so near
to him windows that could give their
delicate colors TO all that was seen
through them? Had he not been so
busy killing time, he had gladly taken
his hands away from his face a moment
to get one peep of the bright world
through that open window.
Il can see the child now" said the
keyhole thoughtfully. at was Christ
mas time. In the play-room was the
Christmas tree Just dressed. L could
view its splendor, but the children
might not, for it was not yet time. The
door was locked, and the key had been
removed, and l could see the child
standing outside the door. He tried it
and found it locked.
"He looked longingly at it, and then
turning to his sister, who was standing
beside him, said: DO you think that
if were to become very, very little,
oh smaller than the smallest child
that ever was, l might pass in now
through the keyho,e, and not wait for
the door to be unlockedY
And his sister laughed at his fancy
and led him away with her.
Soon he passed forever out of the
play-room, like the rest, and 1 have
never seen him since.
"But now comes the strange part OF
my story-my secret. After he went
the key could not be found that I'm
locked the door of the children's play
room. None other could be made to
fit, and without it no one can enter in.
That is why the place is so silent and
deserted. and 1 wait and sigh"
"You surprise me-" said the spider.
"Do you know who lost the key? 10
you think that it will ever be found
again."
Il do not know, answered the other;
"but tell you and know, for have
seen both sides of life-if any ore ever
enters the play-room again that child
will surely be the first to enter it.
Ind then the spider crawled away,
and the clock licked as before, the
keyhole sighed and thought of her
great secret, and the shadows deepen
ed in the great hall.
and we might have gone on this
way forever" as the clock afterward
said to the rat. "if one day there had
not happened wonder!"
1t was the same time as before; the
keyhole was waiting with its wide
opened eye; the spider had craw ed
again to the keyhole, when the wonder
occurred that caused even the hands OF
the clock to drop down from its face,
and made it forget to kill time as it
saw for a moment.
There was o noise heard beneath the
hall-the opening of door, long clos
ed, that creaked and Jared as it open
ed. A man came through the shadow,
up the wide stairway; lie was a strong
man, but he came slowly and YEARLY.
Look" burst from the keyhole, as
a gust of wind swept through her and
shook her. 1T is he the boy who was
last to leave! How lightly he passed
down the stairway; how slowly he
comes back - and now he passes
through the hall; he pauses before the
same window through which he used
to look. Hush! l read in his eyes
that he has seen and knows at last, too
well, what lies beyond"
eyes longing Y again toward the win
dow, but what he saw there was blur
red with his tears.
"Oh! l hope" whispered the spider
anxiously to her friend, 81 hope that
he has found the key at last; that will
make such pretty ending to my
story!"
Hush! he is going to speak," said
the keyhole. And she listened breath
lessly; there was not even q breeze
stirring through her.
And the man, turning his earnest
eyes toward the light, cried out:
20 God! What was the thoughtless
wish of the child is grown to be still
more the wish of the thinking man. II
ii may vet be possible, let me become
the smallest and poorest of Thy chill
dren, that l may enter again the door
that has so long been closed against
me-"
And as he spoke the last rays of the
setting sun poured into the room and
flooded it with light even where there
had been shadow; and the mans
features ereilluminated, transtigured.
So the secret of the keynote was at
last revealed. She began to change
her form! She grew larger and larger.
until the lights from the play-room and
the hall were mingled! And the man
became as little child. He passed
forever into the dear, glad Tairyland
of Childhood. -Marian Agnes Nc